The main one so far Cuban chess playerCarlos Daniel Albornoz from Camagüey, will not continue representing the island.
Albornoz, who currently leads the ranking of players assigned to the Cuban Federation, requested the withdrawal of the national team and will no longer participate in the upcoming tournament that will define the new champion of Cuba.
The news was confirmed this weekend by Wilfredo Toledo, head of the national technical commission, according to the newspaper Granma.
The publication regrets the loss of Albornoz, which it considers a hard blow for the Cuban team that will participate in the World Chess Olympiad, scheduled for September in Uzbekistan.
The Grand Master from Camagüey currently has an ELO of 2577 and is the island’s best-placed chess player in the lists of America and the world. In his career he has accumulated victories and medals in both national and international tournaments.
With his departure, Cuba loses another established figure in chess and sports in general, in a case that is reminiscent of other well-known Cuban chess players such as Lenier Domínguez, Lázaro Bruzón, Yuniesky Quesada, Neuris Delgado and Fidel Corrales.
The national championship
Albornoz’s loss will be felt as soon as the next National Championship, which will be held in his native Camagüey in the month of February.
In his absence, another 24 chess players will seek to win the crown currently held by Jorge Elías (2493), who will be present at the tournament.
The defending monarch will have among his main contenders the runner-up Dylan Berdayes (2464) and experienced players such as Omar Almeida (2463), Ermes Espinosa (2461) and Elier Miranda (2449).
Meanwhile, the women’s championship will be held in Pinar del Río and will have two locals among its main figures: the defending champion Yerisbel Miranda (2242) and the stellar Lisandra Ordaz (2313), who returns to the competition after a period away due to motherhood.
They will be joined by other renowned trebejistas such as Oleiny Linares (2270), Yaniela Forgas (2221), the veteran Maritza Arribas (2206) and the youngest Ineymig Hernández (2184) and Roxángel Obregón (2126), according to reports Granma.
In addition to defining the new kings of Cuba, the national championships will also be a key moment for the composition of the teams that must represent the island in the World Olympics, since those who make up these teams must have played in the domestic tournaments.
